Note: This article includes an explicit discussion of suicide and mental health issues. In the last 20 years, the words we use to talk about suicide have changed. We are chastised for saying that someone “committed suicide,” because in…
Who is the domestic terrorist?
In the wake of the violence of January 6, 2021, some observers wondered why the insurrectionists at the U.S. Capitol weren’t charged with domestic terrorism. The reason is simple: There is no standalone federal crime on the books for domestic…
City of Dallas-owned Love Field being used for ICE Air deportations
Several months ago, a coalition of clergy I am part of (CLEAR DFW) was instrumental in preventing the sale of an industrial warehouse to the Department of Homeland Security for the purposes of warehousing humans. We’ve known for some time…
Anti-Christian Bias report exalts Calvinism and lies as normative
It is no secret that Donald J. Trump is intent on exacting retribution on his perceived enemies. Top of his list is former President Joe Biden. While the recently released report by the Justice Department’s Task Force to Eradicate Anti-Christian…
Greg Abbott is on a campaign against religious liberty
One year ago, I wrote about how Texas Gov. Greg Abbott amplified a racist, Islamophobic tweet to further a conspiracy theory about a North Texas Muslim community. The conspiracy was that the planned community, EPIC City, was going to enact…
Jesus Was a Migrant illuminates America’s theological crisis
Last fall, FaithWorks (formerly Fellowship Southwest) led a pilgrimage to the Texas-Mexico border. The pilgrims included the organization’s Racial Justice Advocates pilot cohort and a documentary film crew. Noted writer and historian Jemar Tisby also joined the group. The result,…
The brain rot of CPAC 2026
I’m a week out from my first (and likely only) CPAC experience. It took me several days to recover — to exorcise the experience from my body and soul. I wrote a lengthy article about my takeaways from the event…
10 takeaways from CPAC 2026
Last week, the annual conference of the Conservative Political Action Conference was held in my back yard in Texas. So of course I attended. This isn’t my first time venturing into MAGA territory. I attended the National Rifle Association’s annual…
5 things I wish every U.S. citizen knew
It’s hard to believe 14 months into Donald Trump’s Reign of Terror 2.0 anyone still believes the administration’s rhetoric around its immigration enforcement practices. I’m a female pastor in a progressive Baptist church in Texas. It isn’t as if I’m…
What if we’re experiencing one giant extinction burst?
I had lunch with a friend a few days ago, and the conversation inevitably turned to what is happening in our body politic. She then said something I can’t stop thinking about: “What if what’s happening in our country is…
Everyone has a part to play in the fight against ICE
I was in Minneapolis the week Alex Pretti was shot more than 10 times by Customs and Border Patrol Agents. I originally went to Minneapolis to write about the aftermath of Renee Good’s murder by an ICE agent. As I…
The day after the public execution of Alex Pretti
I returned from Minneapolis to Dallas Friday night. I expected the next piece I’d write for Baptist News Global would be about my experience participating in the clergy actions on Friday. Those reflections will have to wait. When I saw…